Electric lighting.



W. C. STARKEY.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9,1910. 1r 1 b latented may 2, 1916.

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WITNESSES: LVVE/VTOR.

E A HER/V2221.

W. CfSTARKEY.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING. APPLICATIONQFKLED MAY 9,1910.

1,181,550. Patented May 2,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

lVlT/VESSES: LVVE/VTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATE-S WILLIAM C. STARKEY,

PATENT orinon.

OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma 2, 1916.

Application filed May 9, 1910. Serial No. 560,390

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. STARKEY, of Mansfield, county ofRichland, and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Electric Lighting; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide means for automaticallymaintaining the efficiency or candle light of incandescent lamps whenthe current in the circuit therefor diminishes below a predeterminednormal voltage. The invention has been made with particular reference touse in electric cars so that when the current in the circuit diminishesmaterially below normal, automatically operated means will modify theresistance in the circuit so as to maintain a normal current in the lampcircuit or will cut out enough lamps to leave an average normal currentfor the remaining lamps, whereby the efliciency of the lamps will bemaintained.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the use of a series relayfor controlling the current that passes through a lamp circuit orthrough a part of the circuit. This relay accomplishes its object bycutting out some resistance, and that resistance may be either a lamp ora series of lamps, or a resistance coil, or'the like.

The nature of the invention will be un-, derstood from the accompanyingdrawings and the following description and claims. I

In the drawings Figure 1 is a diagram of lamp circuits having aresistance coil and a relay for automatically cutting out a resistancecoil when the voltage is below normal. Fig. 2 is a diagram of the lampcircuits with a relay arranged to cut out a por-, tion of the lamps.Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the relay mounted inconnection with one lampso as to cut out that lamp when the voltageis below normal. Fig; 4; is aside elevation of one lamp and'relay. Fig. 5 is .a central verticalsection through the relay for the lamps shown in Fig. 4. I In thediagram shown in Fig. 1 the current comes in over the wire and passesthrough a series'of lamps 11 and out over the wire 12 through the magnet13 of the series relay, wire 14., resistance coil 15 to ground at 16.With this arrangement, currentis employed having a higher voltwire 19running to ground, and another running from the wire 14. I The magnet 13and armature 17 are so arranged that the armature will be attracted bythe magnet only Avhen there is the excessive current above spoken of.\Vhen that current diminishes suliiciently to permit the armature 17 tofall away from the magnet, the latter will connect the wires 19 and 20so that the current through the magnet and wire 14 will pass out throughthe armature l7 and wire 19 to ground, and thereby, with a smallervoltage in the circuit, leave to the lamps an average voltageas high asthat had before. In other words, the relay has merely shortcircuited theresistance which has been reducing the portion of the current going tothe lamps.

In Fig. 2 there is no resistance coil 15 but insteach the wire 119 runsfrom a terminal near the armature through the series of lamps so as tocut off a portion of it. As shown in Fig. 2, one-fifth of thelamps iscut off. A wire 210 runs from the other terminal near the armature tothe wire 12. With a normal voltage all the lamps will be efiicient, butwhen'the voltage becomes low, the armature 17 W1 drop and connect wires119 and 210. Then the current will not pass through the cut-out lamps,but will come in over wire 119, the armature and wires 210 and 12through the magnet and out to ground over wire 14. Since only fourfifthsof the lamps are now 'in use, there will be an average normal voltage.

Still another and probably a more useful and common form is showninFigs. 3, 4: and 5. In Fig. 3 the current comes in over wire 10, throughsome of the lamps 11 to the magnet 13 of the relay interposed in theseries of lamps and connected with one lamp 111. ires connect the lampsand between the connecting wires for three lamps wires 31 and 32 runfrom the armature ter- 1 the casing.

power of the four lights left in the circuit '15 much greater than thetotal candle-power of the five lights would be if they were all in thecircuit on the same total voltage.

This is due to the fact that the candle power ing circuit.

The preferable construction of relay adapted for cutting'out individuallamps is indicated in Figs. l and5. There is a cylindrical casing l0which is internally threaded at each end, and the ends l1 and 42 arenon-conducting disks that screw into Y The end 4C1 has a screw plug 4-3adapted to screw in the usual socket for an incandescent lamp. It islilled with a non-conducting block at. with a centrally locatedconducting rod #5 that is connected by a wire as with a terminal a7 thatextends through the non-conducting block 48 iii-the socket l9, intowhich the plug of a lamp 11 is adapted to screw. The magnet 13 islocated within the casing just described and.

it is connected by a wire 50 with the plug 43 and wire 51 with aterminal 52 in the end 42. The two terminals 1-7 and 52 are impositionto be engaged by the armature 17 when it drops to the dotted-lineposition shown in Fig. 5. Then the current which has previously beengoing through the lamp is short-circuited through the armature from thewire 51 to the wire 46 and. said lamp is cut out. lVhen the circuitresumes its normal current, the armature 17 will be drawn back to themagnet and the lamp 11 will be cut in.

From theforegoing explanation it is seen that the form of relay shown inFig. 5 may be used in connection with any number of lamps as desired andwill automatically cut out the lamps according to the current in thecircuit and they will be cut in upon the -rcsumption of a normalcurrent. The lamp shown in Fig. 3 and the number of lamps shown in Fig.2 that are adapted to be cut out are something in the nature ofresistance and to some extent perform the same func .tion as theresistance'coil 15 in Fig. 1, but the former arrangement is preferablehecausc normally there will be more lamps than with the arrangementshown in Fig. 1. and the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 is preferablebecause by having a supply of relays shown in Fig. 5 on hand the numberof lamps maybe arranged in the manner described to suit even a veryreduced condition of the current: that is, so as to out out three of thelamps shown in Fig. 3 and leave two lamps which will receive enoughcurrent to have the normal eflieiency.

I The relay herein is a series relay for regulating the current asdistinguished from the voltage relay and, therefore the total currentwhich passes through all of the lamps connected in series also passesthrough the relay.

I claim as my invention 1. In an electric lighting system of the classdescribed, a circuit including'a varying voltage source of power and aplurality of translating devices, a shunt circuit around at least one ofsaid translating devices, and a single electrically operating means inseries with said translating devices for opening and closing said shuntcircuit.

In an electric lighting system of the class described, a source of powerof variable voltage, a plurality of translating devices in series insaid circuit, a normally open shunt circuit around at least one of saidtranslating devices, and a relay in series with said translating devicesresponsive to a predetermined drop in current for closing said shuntcircuit to maintain a con stant current in the other devices.

3. In an electric lighting system of the class described, a circuitincluding a source of power-subject to substantial fluctuations involtage, a plurality of translating devices in series in said circuitand subject to the fluctuations in voltage producing changes of currenttherein, and an automatic regulator also in series with said translatingdevices and responsive to predetermined variations in the current forcontrolling the current through at least one of said translating devicesfor maintaining constant the current in the other translating devices.

i Inan electric lighting system of the class described, afcircuitincluding a source of power subject to fluctuations in voltage, aplurality of lamps in series in said circuit and also subject to saidvoltage and to cur-,

rent fluctuations, and means in series with said lamps subject to saidcurrent fluctuations for increasing the current in a number of lampsless than the total number thereof.

i 5. In an electric lighting system of the class described, thecombination of a source of power subject to fluctuations in voltage, acircuit including a plurality of lamps in series subject to said voltagefluctuations, a regulator comprising an electro-magnet in series andsubject to current fluctuations, a lamp normally in said series, andmeans controlled by said electro-magnet for cutting the regulator lampin and out of said circuit in accordance with the current fluctuations.

6. In an electric lighting system of the class described, the.combination of a circuit including a source of power and a plurality oflamps in series and subject to voltage and consequently to currentfluctuations, a regulator removably insertible in said circuit andincluding a lamp adapted to be normally connected in series and a lowresistance magnet adapted to beconnected in series with said lamps, andmeans con trolled by said magnet in response to said currentfluctuations for cutting said regulator lamp in and out of circuit.

7 In an electric lighting system, the combination of a source of powerof variable voltage, a circuit including said source of power and aplurality of lamps in series and subject to said voltage and currentfluctuations, a low resistance magnet in series, a lamp normally inseries, a normally open shunt circuit around said lamp, and meanscontrolled by said magnet in response to a predetermined fluctuation involtage for closing said shunt circuit to vary the total resistance ofand the current in said circuit.

8. In an electric lighting system of the class described, thecombination of a source of power subject to fluctuations in voltage, acircuit including a plurality of sockets and lamps therefor in seriessubject to the voltage fluctuations and the fluctuations in our- Y rent,and a regulator adapted to be removably inserted in series between anylamp and its socket comprising an elec romagnet through the other lampsof the series.

9. In a system of the class described, a circuit including a pluralityof lamp sockets and lamps therefor connected in series and subject tofluctuations of voltage causing thereby a fluctuation of current, and aregulator removably disposed between a lamp and its, socket having asingle magnet in series with the lamp and socket with armature contactsand connections therefor with which the armature cooperates to shortcircuit the lam attached when the current is low for increasing thecigrent in the remaining lamps.

In witness hereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses herein named.

VVILEIAM O. STARKEY.

Witnesses G. H. Bon'vk, O. M. MCLAUGHLIN.

to which the regulator is

